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<title>Afraid by Seathesilverlining (untilweseeawingshot)</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28616106">Afraid</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/untilweseeawingshot/pseuds/Seathesilverlining'>Seathesilverlining (untilweseeawingshot)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>2093 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Thunderbirds</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Babies are tiny and that is terrifying, Baby, Baby Stella - Freeform, Dad!John, F/M, Gen, IR Next Gen, Parent Jobannon, Tracy Family Next Generation, Uncle Alan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:35:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>546</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28616106</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/untilweseeawingshot/pseuds/Seathesilverlining</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The first member of the next generation of the Tracy family is here and Alan has a stark realisation.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Captain Ridley O'Bannon/John Tracy, John Tracy &amp; Alan Tracy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>2093 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2096850</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Afraid</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alan is twenty-three when his very first niece is born. Twenty-three and it hits him with the force of Thunderbird Two, that never before in his <em>life</em> has he held a baby. So, naturally, once the tiny redhead has made her way home with her parents to the safety of Tracy Island and everyone has had a turn at smothering her with love; when she has reached the last in line before him, he makes an excuse and leaves, quickly.</p><p>He manages, somehow, to avoid John and Ridley and whoever else may be fawning over the newest addition at the time for a total of three days. Three days, and John manages to corner him up on the observation deck of the round house. His teeny tiny twin is cradled to his chest and there’s something akin to a dash of sorrow in his eyes.</p><p>“Are you okay Alan?”</p><p>“What? Yeah, I’m fine.”</p><p>But he makes the mistake of inching away when John sits down next to him, and John sighs.</p><p>“Look, Alan, I know this is a big adjustment for everyone…”</p><p>“Don’t…”</p><p>“Let me finish. It’s a big adjustment for everyone, me and Ridley included, but you seemed so excited before and now you’re avoiding the both of us like the plague. I just want to check in with you.”</p><p>“I’m okay, honest,” His eyes don’t meet John’s but they’ve settled on Stella instead. “I’m just a little… Well, more than a little… Afraid I guess…”</p><p>“Of what?” But John connects the dots quickly, just unfortunately in the wrong order. “Of Stella? She’s just a baby Alan…”</p><p>“Well, yes, and no. I’m not afraid <em>of</em> her. I’m worried I might hurt her…”</p><p>“Oh, okay… I understand that.” John nodded and Stella stirred, tipping her little head back into John’s instinctively waiting hand and gazed up at him, he smiled. “I thought the same thing, you know.”</p><p>“You did?”</p><p>“Yeah, you can ask Ridley, we were both terrified. Babies are so fragile, they’re so tiny and dependant, it’s scary. I wanted to think that I should have had enough practise with three younger brothers but you’re the only baby I can really ever remember dealing with, I was too young to do much when it came to Virgil and Gordon.”</p><p>“But I thought Ridley had a god-son?”</p><p>“She does, but she didn’t spend much time around him as a baby, being in space a lot it was mostly video calls.”</p><p>“Oh…”</p><p>“Look Alan, the point of what I’m trying to say is that it’s okay if you don’t want to hold her yet because you don’t feel ready. That’s fine, but tell me. Don’t just avoid us. As silly as it sounds I was starting to think you didn’t like her.” John huffed a laugh and smirked as Stella’s eyes drifted closed once again.</p><p>“Didn’t like her? I love her! I’m just scared I’m going to hurt her!”</p><p>“You won’t I promise, but if you need time before you feel ready, I understand.”</p><p>Alan nodded, eyes on Stella, he reached out and softly stroked her head. John smiled and Stella’s eyes opened once more, responding to the touch her head tipped back to look around.</p><p>Oh yeah, one look of those eyes and Alan was done.</p>
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